All is Fair in Love and War
by oreozombie
Summary: When 19 year old Dakota Shews is split from her uncle during the most important times in the universe,she isn't too happy.Until she's transferred to Blood Gulch where she meets the Red vs Blue gang.
1. Chapter 1: And so it begins

The humming of the pelican's engine, the feeling of the air, causing everything and everyone to bounce up and down and to attempt to keep their balances, the smell of a freshly lit cigar. Dakota Shews took this all in, while she tried to put her entire life into one nutshell:

_She was born on June 10th, father was Robert Shews, an active master gunnery sergeant in the marines. Her mother, Victoria De Renno was a secretary but a spunky, respected one at that. When Dakota was 3, her home on Asmara was attacked and her father died in battle, attempting to protect her and her mother. They moved shortly afterwards to Algolis and when Dakota was 4 ½, her mother remarried Travis McRoland who was also active in the marines as a Captain. He too was killed in action, leaving Dakota and her mother with his brother, John who was also away fighting for the universe. In 2534, Dakota was taken away from her mother who lived on Earth and a clone was left behind so her Spartan training could begin. From there, the routine Spartan II's process began; her and the 79 other children her age were taught everything. From math, to shooting a gun; to reading to making strategic plans to overcome their enemies. 8 years later, 80 children went through the Augmentation Procedure; only 40 lived with 10 crippled for life. Dakota and the remaining children were put into teams of 4, Dakota being the leader of her group. Ever since they had entered the academy, the Spartans-in-training had heard stories of the legendary Master Chief; at the age of 16, she was taken from her team-despite the protests from her teammates- and put next to her uncle to fight in combat. She had never met her uncle before; if she had, she would've known that he was Master Chief. For 2 years, they fought side by side against the flood and the covenant. During this time period, she had returned to her mother to show her that she was alive as the clone died 2 months after its creation. There was a great amount of tears, arguing, and apologizing._

Now, as Dakota sat on the Pelican and the driver announced the estimated time of arrival would be 10 minutes, she remembered back to only 4 days ago, when she and her uncle got into an argument while scouring a covenant infected forest on 51 Pegasi-B:

_ "Dak," the Chief started as all was calm around them and the 10 other marines. The Chief had ordered them to stop and rest only moments ago. "Yeah,Chief?" she answered; she could call him whatever she liked but thought it inappropriate to call him "Uncle" or "John" in front of anyone but Johnson, Keyes, or Cortana. "After this, I'm sending you out on your own." He sat down on a rock and leaned his elbows on his thighs. The young Spartan stood in front of him, looking into the helmet where his eyes were though she couldn't actually see them. She smiled and nodded, "Alright!"She agreed happily, "What do you want me to do? Go on ahead and thin out their numbers? Plant a bomb?" the questions were rattled off quickly and eagerly. The tall armored man shook his head from where he was perched and slowly stood up. He towered over the girl; him at 6'8 and her at 5'9. "That's not what I meant. I mean after this mission, I'm shipping you out on your own to somewhere else where you're needed more than here." He explained. Though he couldn't see it, Dakota's face went from excited and willing to shocked and confused. "W-what? What do you mean? Why! You don't need me anymore!" as she spoke, her voice got louder and more aggressive. Some of the marines stared, wondering what was occurring between the two Spartans. Other's just glanced as they were used to the family quarreling between them. "No," his voice was calm and smooth, "We do need you here; I want you to stay but, the closer we get to destroying Halo, the more dangerous our missions get. It would be selfish of me to keep you here because I want you to stay and then you getting killed. In two days, you'll be going somewhere where a Spartan like you would come in handy. Where you're in control and you call the shots." "But, I don't want to go anywhere without you with me! What the hell, Chief!" Dakota was gritting her teeth and giving him a death glare; but no one could tell. "Dakota," a female voice rang out in a low whisper. "Your uncle has been putting a lot of thought into his decision and though we both would rather you stay, we both think it's better for you to be away from this danger." Cortana agreed with her host. "But, I'm a Spartan for Christ sake! We're trained for this shit! Both of you know that!" Dakota countered. Both of them got silent, they knew she was right. "Hehe, I'm going on ahead." She snorted and took off into the forest. "Dakota!" the Chief called after her; all the marines were facing them now. "Chief, let her go. After all, she's 'trained for this shit'." Cortana sighed._

"ETA: 5 minutes" the drivers announcement interrupted the girl's memory. She concentrated on the rest of what happened:

_ 5 hours later, there still had been no sign of Dakota. At first, alien yelling and gun shots could be heard about 3 miles away but that was 30 minutes after she had ran. Master Chief and the marines followed the cleared path created for them by the angry female; stepping over decapitated elites, strangled grunts, pulverized jackals, shot down buggers, and a pair of destroyed hunters. "Ay, Chief! Dak's a little pissed, eh?" one of the marines called, with a snicker. He ignored the comment, as the only thing keeping him from going off on the marine was his worry for his daughter-like niece. "Do you think she's close by? It's getting dark." Spartan 117 asked his A.I. "Why don't you look for yourself." She answered. Up ahead, in the darkness of the forest, the yellow light from assault rifle bursts and the blue of plasma rifles could be seen. "Stay here." He ordered before taking off towards the fight. Only moments after the Chief took off running, did the fighting cease; no lights and no sounds except for Master Chiefs feet on the forest floor. After a few minutes, he slowed his pace to a walk. "Lights on, Chief." Cortana suggested though it had sounded more like an order. The lights from his helmet flicked on and he continued to walk. "Chief, over there!" the A.I. exclaimed. In the distance, a faint light could be seen. The green armored man quickened his walk and as he neared the clearing where the light seemed to shine from, he could hear panting. He pushed his way past the remaining plant life and into the clearing. There, he gazed upon his Sapphire armored niece who sat on a log, looking down between her legs at her helmet that lit up the area she had claimed. To her right, a grunt attempted to crawl away, he had just reached the edge and was about to hide under the brush when the long, black haired girl stood up, strolled over to the struggling creature, grabbed its head between her rather large hands, and snapped its neck. She dropped the limp body and turned around; facing one of the only family members she had left. "Dak…" the Chief trailed off. Her green eyes pierced his armor and burned into her uncle's eyes, despite her bangs the hung in her face. She shook her head and walked over to her helmet. She looked down at it for a moment, picked it up, and put it back on with a hissing sound. "I'll go after the mission because you will it, Uncle. But for now, let's kick some ass together for the last time, ok?"_

"Sarge, ETA: 30 seconds." Came a call from the cock pit of the Pelican. Dakota opened her eyes and gazed at Sergeant Johnson sitting across from her. "Ready, Dak?" he asked in the familiar rough voice Dakota had come to know and love; especially loving it when he would save her ass. "Ready as I'll ever be." she huffed. The blue terror stood up and slung her assault rifle and shotgun over her shoulder. She checked her pistols and made sure she had 4 frag grenades. "We're here." The driver called from the cockpit. "Take 'er down." Ordered Johnson. The Pelicans direction suddenly shifted; it slowed down, eventually stopped, and slowly moved downward. The bay door opened and revealed a warthog with boxes in it. Below, green grass could be seen. "Deploying warthog." And the vehicle was released from the grip of the ship. It hit the ground with a thump and the sound of metal rubbing together but it was intact and undamaged. "Well, this is it, Johnson. I guess I'll be seeing you." Dakota shrugged. "You'll be fine, Dak. Just treat them and protect them like you would me or your uncle." He suggested. "You know I will, Johnson." No one spoke after that. Dakota turned and was about to jump out the bay door when, "Dakota." She turned back around and inhaled the smell of the cigar that hung from her friends lips. "Happy Birthday, Kiddo." He smirked. She smirked back, "Tell Chief that I said 'Thanks for the GREAT present'." She rolled her eyes, referring to this transfer as her present. She jumped out of the Pelican and landed on the ground with a thud. She stood up straight and looked up into the open bay door. "One more thing Sarge: Where am I?" she asked. "Coagulation." He said before the bay doors closed and the Pelican zipped up into the sky….


	2. Chapter 2: The Arrival

"Coagulation? What the hell?" Dakota Shews said out loud. She looked around to the place she would temporarily call "Home". Unlike most of the places she's been in the past few months, the sun was out and the sky was a pure, light blue. She seemed to be in a canyon with no way out but up. "Great, I'm in the middle of fucking no where." She sighed. Yesterday had been the last time she would talk to her uncle in probably years:

"_So where am I going?" Dakota and her uncle had made it back to Control after their mission on 51 Pegasi-B. They sat in a room given to them temporarily. "Some where on Earth. I can't say for sure." They both had their helmets off as they ate a quick meal; no doubt that they would be shipped off at any moment. She glanced up at her uncle as she shoveled food into her mouth in fear that they would be called on a mission before she could finish. John 117 had dark brownish-red short hair, swept back neatly with a few strands sticking out here and there. His eyes were sharp,dark brown, full of hurt, wisdom, and warmth. His face was very defined: a strong chin, a large nose that fit his face perfectly, and thin lips. Scars were scattered about his face: one splitting his right eye brow in two parts, another on the corner of his mouth, and one near his left ear, in the shape of an "X". With or without the scars, Master Chief was very handsome. "On Earth! Near mom!" she grinned. "Now Dak, I didn't say that," as the Chief said this, Dakota's face dropped and she frowned. "B-but, I didn't say that it wasn't going to be near her! You might, you might not just don't get your hopes up." "Master Chief to the bridge! I repeat: Master Chief to the bridge!" screeched a women over the intercom. The uncle and niece looked at each other and smirked. "That didn't take long." The blue girl laughed as they both grabbed their helmets and ran to the bridge. There, Dakota received the one thing she never wanted to hear. "This mission is only for the Chief." "W-what!"the girls mouth was wide open with shock. "I'm sorry,Dakota,but this mission is for your uncle alone;no marines will be accompanying him and neither will you." Admiral Hood informed the pair,looking between them. As Dakota took in what had been said,she was fully aware of John glancing at her in bursts of worry. Dakota's eyes narrowed as she suspiciously said: "B-but,you do know that this could be our LAST mission together,right?" "Yes,I do but this mission will most likely last for longer then a day. And the more time you have away from each other,the better." the Ron Perlman look-alike slowly turned his back on the pair. He faced a large control panel,hands clasped together behind his back and standing up straight;this was their respected leader. Eyes still narrowed,Dakota lifted an eye brow and shifted her weight to her other side, "And why would that be,Admiral?" "Dakota!" Master Chief hissed, "Because,Ms. Shews, the less time you spend with your uncle, the less you'll miss him and the easier it will be to leave." Terrance Hood was now turned around,gaze burning into her helmet with a stern face; but he didn't know that Dakota was returning the stare harder and more deadly. "You're an asshole,Hood,ya know that?"she growled before turning around and running back to the room they had previously occupied. "Dak!Come back!" the famous Spartan called, "Let her go,Chief. I need to debrief you on your mission," Admiral Hood was just as calm as ever, "I apologize on her behalf,Admiral." the Chief sighed, wondering if she was crying right now or punching the stuffing out of something-or someone. "It's alright,Chief. I know you're her closest family member and she's still a teenager, but, you should talk to her about speaking to a commanding officer like that;it could be considered treason or insubordination."and with that, Hood continued to inform Master Chief about his newest mission._

Dakota looked around her new surroundings: the canyon was the color of a softball field in the sense that the canyon walls and ground was made of orange clay. There was grass around but it wasn't very thick and most of it was brown and dead. Groups of large boulders could be seen that would be perfect for a hiding place as well as tall trees that would be great for sniping or just relaxing in the shade; but the one,well, two things that stood out to the young Spartan were the bases on each side of the canyon. "Well,shit!Which one do I go to?"she grumbled,jumping into the equipment filled warthog. 'Red lights,or blue lights. Red's a strong color.' she thought as she turned on the vehicle. It roared to life and vibrated a bit but Dakota was able to turn it in the direction of the red base and head towards it, while thinking of the last time she saw her uncle:

"_Dakota,please listen to your uncle for a minute!"Cortanas voice rang out from Master Chiefs helmet. Dakota was standing in the door way of their room,red faced but her helmet was still on, "No!I don't give two shits about what he has to say!I'm being shipped out tomorrow and it's ALL HIS FAULT!" her voice echoed through out the station; there was no way everyone had NOT heard it. Spartan 117 sat on the ground opposite of his niece with his back against the wall,staring up at his family member. He had dealt with many enemies before: if the person in front of him was an Elite, he would have jumped out and blown it's brains out with his pistol,a Jackal,grab it's shield and beat it to death with it. But, no,this was his niece,he hadn't the slightest idea what to do; no military training would've taught or did teach him how to handle the situation. So,he acted on instinct. Master Chief jumped up, arms extended towards Dakota, and rushed towards her, tackling her inside the room. The door slid shut behind them and Cortana locked the door. Officers of all different ranks that had been watching before were now crowded around the door,attempting to listen to the quarrel while others were scampering about, informing others about what had happened. Inside, Chief had Dakota pinned to the ground and he had ripped off his and her helmet. "Listen to me for one god damned second!" he growled, those dark, sharp eyes narrowed into angry slits. The youngest member of the Shews family mirrored her uncles face almost perfectly: eyes narrowed into slits, teeth grit together in an angry sneer. The only thing different were the tears welling up in the corners of her eyes, "Why should I!YOU betrayed me!Your word is no good,you back stabbing cock bite!" "How did I betray you!And what the hell is a cock bite?" "It's what YOU are!You betrayed me by sending me away!I thought you loved me!I thought you wanted me!But now I know the truth: YOU DON'T WANT ANYTHING TO DO WITH ME!" tears were now running down Dakota's cheeks,plastering her black hair to her face. John's eyes widened and his next action, Dakota would never forget for as long as she lived: Master Chief pulled his arm back,hand balled into a fist,and punched the girl in the jaw. Everything in the room stopped,for what seemed like an eternity , but was actually only a few minutes. "What the fuck!" Dakota hissed,shoving the man off of her and jumping on him, punching him in the face multiple times. Outside, the entire station was running around,some returning to their jobs, others making bets and collecting money. "Admiral," Commander Keyes was standing before Terrance Hood with a worried look I her face, "Something's going on with the Chief and Dakota." she reported. Back at the room,John and Dakota were in an all out fist fight, doing more damage to their quarters then they were each other. Suddenly,they could hear a loud rapping on the metal door, "Open this door!" Admiral Hood's muffled voice ordered from in front of the group still clustered around the door. The Spartan's stopped and stared at the door, looked at each other, and back at the door. "Keep the door locked,Cortana." Dakota ordered before punching Chief in the face again. "Cortana,open the door!"Keyes could also be heard outside the room, "That's a negative,Commander."Cortana replied as she sounded like she was smiling. The fighting and orders went on for another good fifteen minutes until Dakota ended up laying on the metal table,panting, and her uncle laid upside down against a wall. "Why did you punch me,John?"she huffed,staring up at the ceiling. For a while, the dark green soldier didn't answer, "Because of what you said: I didn't know how to react to it so..." "You punched me?" "Yeah...Why did you say that,Dak?You know that I want you to stay but I'm sending you out BECAUSE I love you." "I know,I don't know why I said it. Maybe because I'm upset that you're going on a mission without me?Because I'm really going to miss you and Cortana?Maybe a combination of both?I don't know,Chief,but either way,I'm sorry."she sat up,using her elbows for support, "I'm sorry too." he grinned up at her from the floor. "Do you think Commander and Admiral will accept a 'sorry'?" Dakota grinned sheepishly,getting up and helping the Chief stand up. A click could be heard from the metal door as it unlocked, "Doubt it." Cortana replied,her hologram shrugging. The pair opened the door to reveal just Hood and Keyes looking very irritated but then shocked at what had emerged from the room: both Dak's and Chief's faces were covered in bruises,bumps,scratches,and some blood here and there. "What the-"Keyes gasped but Admiral just chuckled, "Looks like you two taught each other a lesson," he smirked, "Both of you get to bed; you're being shipped out tomorrow." that night, they both slept soundly, waking up at four in the morning to eat their breakfast, get equipped by five thirty, and leaving at six. Johnson,Keyes,Dakota,Hood,and Chief all stood in between the loading docks of the Pelicans they were about to board, Dakota stood tall and confident, "Well,I guess this is it,uncle." she grinned though no one could see through the orange window of her helmet, "I guess so,niece. Be good,okay?Don't fight with the marines TOO much." they could hear the smile in the always-serious-Spartans voice. "I'll try. Don't have too much fun without me,k'?" "I'll try." the two stood there for a while,no one saying anything or moving,when suddenly,the two embraced each other in a hard hug. "I'll miss you,uncle John. I love you."Dakota tried to make it seem like she wasn't crying,even though she had been for the past three minutes, "I'll miss you too,Kid,and you know I love you,too."his voice was stern and strong yet caring. He HAD been her father figure for the past three years. " A'ight!Let's go,Kiddo!"Johnson grunted. The dark skinned man and the young girl went left while the tall armored man went right. "Oh!"Master Chief reached down and tossed his niece a small wrapped box, "Happy Birthday,Dakota." and with that, the doors to the two vessels closed and took off._

Now,Dakota wore the contents of the small box, a necklace with her two fathers,her uncles,and her own dog tags,and a locket with a picture of her mother...


End file.
